Transport Minister Lisa Raitt defended the federal action that required Canada's major railways to increase the volumes of grain they ship as a necessary move that helped maintain the country's reputation

Amid the abundance of negative news from the oilpatch last week over oil and gas prices, corporate spending cuts, and job losses, it would have been easy to overlook the NEB's announcement it is setting up shop in Montreal and Vancouver to better connect with Canadians over pipeline issues.

Premier Jim Prentice's recent comments that new school projects could be deferred while the provincial government grapples with an "unprecedented fiscal hole" triggered by plunging oil prices was met with concern by school board officials already coping with skyrocketing student enrolment and bursting classrooms.